The Taming of the Bastard
by Ally-chan1447
Summary: For those of you who know Shakespear, this is the Taming of the Shrew, but with a more modern twist. For those who don't Yuya is the new girl in town and her cousin Sakuya has a request for her: get Kyo to fall in love with her so she can date Kyoshiro
1. Intro

Intro

In a time not so long ago, in a place that is just literally a skip and a boat ride away, there lived a family of four. This family consisted of a loving mother, an understanding father, a hopeful little brother, and one asshole of an older brother.

Now, as understanding the father was he was very adamant in one rule, that the youngest brother would only date when, and more likely if, the older brother EVER decided to date. The youngest of course thought this was really unfair and complained that his older brother was more likely to wear pink than ever date a girl, or woman, seriously. He argued that he had already found a girl who was sweet, kind, and pretty who liked him just as much as he liked her. But unfortunately for him, his father was just as stubborn as he was understanding. And his mother just agreed with his father.

And unfortunatly for Kyoshiro, his older brother Kyo was a bastard to be reckoned with, he was very much aware how his remaining single affected his little brother, and enjoyed every minute of it. Needless to say there had been many fights between the two and majority of the time it ended up bloody.

Eventually Kyoshiro decided to just wait, Kyo was bound to fall in love, or at least in enough lust, with someone and stay with them for at least a week. But as time went on and nothing happened his frustration grew and he brought his troubles to the girl he wanted to date, to Sakuya, confident that she could help him in his troubles. And she was. She told Kyoshiro that they just needed to get someone to take on the challenge of getting Kyo to fall in love, and that she knew the perfect person to do the job.

Needless to say, Kyoshiro was doubtful, how on earth would such a plan work? Sakuya insisted that it would and she told him of her cousin who would be moving up her at the end of the month, how confident she was that her dear cousin Yuya could accomplish the job. And for once in his seemingly abysmal high school life, Kyoshiro felt hope. Because Sakuya was confident that Kyo would fall in love with her, and for some reason or another, whenever she was confident that something would happen it always did.

"But would she go for it?" He asked her and doubt flitted through her eyes for.

"... I think so." She replied, only it sounded more like a question and he groaned. This wouldn't work if she was going to refuse to help them.

"Please don't worry, I will talk to her and she is the type of person who is compelled to help people in need."

Kyoshiro shifted his gaze to the sky, so would he force some girl to dealing with his brother just so he could be with Sakuya? Either way he looked at it seemed, no it was a bad deal for the unknowing girl. He shifted his gaze bake to the girl beside him, and knew that yes he would, he would feel sorry for the victim but it wouldn't stop him from trying.

So now all that was left was to convince the girl that it was in fact worth her time, and, of course, the taming of the bastard.

* * *

Ok, so some of you must be wondering how on earth did I get the idea to do this story. It was really easy, I was stuck in class watching a play that took snippets of shakespear and added a contemporary twist to it. And one of those was the first verbal match between Katharina and Petruchio in the Taming of the Shrew and the idea just hit me. But it was different than what I was originally going to do, and I think the reversion is a much better idea. Anyway, hope you enjoy the story!

PLEASE NOTE: the more you review the more compelled I am to write more and faster 3 so please review!


	2. Chapter 1: Moving

Chapter 1

Yuya was upset to say the least. She had loved her home here in America. She had been born and adopted by her loving family here, gone to school and made friends here, had birthday parties and gone camping and everything in-between! Now as fate would have it, her family was to move back to Japan. Apparently the job her father held was no longer available here in the U.S. and they were to return to headquarters in Japan.

She felt like she was a part of two different worlds: her family, who were closer to her than anything in the world, and the fact that she was an American while they were Japanese. She had learned their language and could speak it just as fluently as any native, but their physical appearances were completely different. While they had jet black hair and eyes that were narrow and dark in color that had a feel of controlled intelligence, she had long blond hair, large green eyes, and, as she's told, had a sort of innocent air about her.

But now they were on the plane and she felt afraid. She knew her family accepted her and loved her, but she wasn't scared of her family, she was worried about if the people in Japan would accept her. From the stories her friends told her she could only hope that they lived in a strange area or that her friends were just prejudice.

They had left early in the afternoon and almost everyone in the plane was asleep except for Yuya. She was still trying to ignore her concerns in her mind and flipping through the Sky Mall catalogue for the sixth time and wondering who ever did buy something from the magazine when she felt her older brother stir next to her.

"You're still awake Yuya-chan?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm still too nervous. Nii-sama, what is it like where we're going?"

Nozomu stretched and yawned before answering her question.

"Well, I went over to the old house, well new in your case, before I flew back and the neighborhood looks exactly the same as when we lived there before we moved. Don't worry you'll love it. There's a park nearby that has a bunch of large sakura trees and a small pond." he replied with a smile.

Yuya smiled back to be polite, there was no mention of the people there.

"Go to sleep, we've still got a couple of hours before we land, and you'll need your strength," he told her quietly.

"Ok, sleep does sound good." And with that Yuya snuggled up against the side of her brother. She was so happy he had come back to America to help with the move, she had been absolutely depressed when he left for college in Japan. And she supposed it was comforting that they would be in the same city at least, a lot more manageable than being across the world.

Yuya yawned as she felt sleep take over her person and felt Nozomu shift into a more comfortable position.

_I hope things will be ok…_ Then Yuya fell asleep.

* * *

Yuya awoke when she felt the jarring sensation of the plane touching down on the ground in Japan, then spent the next hour or so trying to get off the plane and get the baggage so the family could go 'home'. After they hailed a taxi and merged into traffic they began, they began the hour long drive to the house. She had to refrain from grasping whoever's hand was closest and gripping it to death_. It's defiantly going to take me some time to get used to the driving habits here._

When they pulled up to the new house she felt a small pang of disappointment. It was a nice enough house. Modern with a wall separating the outside world from the little garden. Two stories… which to some may have been appealing, but Yuya couldn't help but wish that it was a more traditional style, with tami mats on the floor and shoji screens separating the rooms. But this house was nice as well.

After entering the front door and removing her shoes Yuya climbed the stairs to search for her new bedroom and after trying a few doors she finally found it. It was situated in the back corner of the house where the wall surrounding the property joined together with the house. There were boxes stacked all around the room and her eyes landed on a window right next to her bed. The sole window in the room she soon realized.

She walked over to open the window in hopes of getting some fresh air in the room and soon discovered the window overlooked the house that backed up against theirs. _Now that's a traditional home, _she couldn't help but think. There were two big buildings and one storage house on the property, and she guessed the one that was closer to the wall to be some type of dojo and the one closer to the front gate to be the main house. There was a small koi pond shaded by trees and surrounded by green grass. It was old, but the tiles on the roof gleamed in the sun and the place seemed peaceful. Yuya was sorely tempted to climb out of the window, down and across one of the branches that reached across and curved along the side of the house.

She felt herself open the window and lean out of it. The urge to go into the house was irriesistable. Like some aura was drawing her forward, calling to her, asking her to step into that calm garden and see what was there, a hidden element that pressed its presence against the fore thought of her mind.

"Yuya!" her mother called up the stairs, "Come down here. Your cousin is here to help unpack! Come say hello!" She spoke in Japanese, another thing to get used to, the disappearance of English. Her call had broken Yuya from her trance and she turned her back against the window and headed back down stairs.

"SAKUYA!" Yuya kinda-sorta shrieked as she saw her beloved cousin and enveloped her into a huge hug

"Yuya!" She squealed back and returned the hug, it had been years since Yuya had seen her. Her hair had grown as long as Yuya's, maybe a bit longer and her bangs covered her chocolate brown eyes, but she still looked like the sweet girl Yuya once knew.

"It's been so long since I last saw you!" Yuya exclaimed. "How have you been?"

Sakuya pulled back far enough to see her cousin's face and smiled.

"I've been just fine, now let's go upstairs and I'll help you unpack." And with that the blonde grasped her hand and pulled her up the stairs into her new room, and together they started to tackle the stacks of boxes placed around the room.

They chatted pleasantly with each other, describing how their lives had been, how much they were happy to finally see each other finally after six years. They talked about the local high school Yuya would be attending and what to expect from the teachers. Yuya couldn't help but sigh in relief when Sakuya told her that all the neighbors here were kind and excited to meet her and great their family.

"Actually Yuya, I have a request." Sakuya said quietly.

"Hmm? Sure ask away, what can I do for you?" Yuya asked in a cheerful voice.

"Well, there's a boy I like very much..." she started.

"Do you need my help in asking him out?" Yuya interrupted with a squeal of excitement.

"No, I know he likes me and he knows I like him..."

"Then what's the problem?" Yuya interrupted again, slightly confused.

Sakuya giggled at her cousin's impatience. "Let me finish. The problem doesn't lie with anyone not wanting to date the other, but with his family. His father won't allow him to date unless his older brother starts to date."

"Well that's just retarded, who on earth does that?"

Sakuya giggled again then continued. "Well I don't quite understand it myself, but Muramasa-san, that's the father, never does anything unreasonable so it must be for good reason. It's really hard to argue against him."

"So... you want me to convince this Muramasa-san?" Yuya asked, still confused.

"No, well yes but not in the way you think." Sakuya paused and took a deep breath, now comes the hard part. "What I want you to do is... !" She said as fast as she could.

Yuya froze, trying to digest what she just heard and hoped she heard otherwise. After what seemed like forever she finally, her cousin's request finally registered completly.

"YOU WANT ME T-MMPH!" she started to shout when Sakuya clasped her hand across her mouth.

"Shh! If you shout like that they'll hear!" And Yuya remembered about her family and wondered why they would care about her shouting.

"MMPH!"

"I know, but please be quite and let me explain." Sakuya spoke in a shushed voice. The glare she was receiving from her muffled cousin plainly stated that Yuya thought she had gone insane in the last six years.

"Please Yu-chan?" she begged small tears in her eyes. Yuya sucked in her breath and knew she had to at least hear her cousin out- it had been years since she last heard the nickname or saw her older cousin's tears but the fact that they made her defenses weak didn't change. So she sighed and nodded her consent to listen.

"So, let me get this straight... You want me to date the older brother?" Skepticism filled her voice.

"Well not exactly, I just want you to try to get him to fall in love with you, you don't have to date him."

"Just get him to fall in love?" Yuya questioned. "I thought you said their father won't consent unless the older was dating."

"Yes, but I think just having him fall in love would be enough to satisfy Muramasa-san." She replied in a quiet voice. Yuya looked questioningly at her, but upon seeing a strange, hurtful look on her cousin she decided not to question the matter.

"I don't think I can help with that..." Yuya started.

"Oh please, just think about it for a while. I would be so grateful if you could help!"

"..." Yuya looked her cousin in the eyes and sighed. "Alright! I think about it, but that's not a yes!" She said sternly.

Sakuya smiled and hugged her cousin; that was in essence a yes in Yuya language.

"Thank you dear cousin!"

"Don't thank me yet." Yuya replied flatly.

A beeping from Sakuya's watch broke the two apart.

"Oh, I've got to go now," Sakuya said glancing at her watch, "thank you so much Yu-chan, really."

"Hey, wait! One more question!" Yuya called after her. Sakuya turned and glanced back at Yuya. "What's he like?"

Her cousin visibly winced then said "You will find out soon enough," and with that she left and Yuya stood there wondering what she had just gotten herself into.

_Hopefully he's not an asshole._ She thought to herself and she continued to unpack.

* * *

So, whatcha' think? Hmm? Is it good? I hope so! Chapter Two is underway! Hopefully I will finish soon.

PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 2: Conveniece Store Plots

Hey there everyone who likes this story! I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to post this chapter. I was in a place with no internet. Hopefully it won't take me a long time for the next chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews, every time I read one it makes my day!

SO! Enjoy, read away:

Sakuya walked briskly through the park to reach her destination. Lucky thing her watch went off or she would have been late for her appointment with Kyoshiro. She was so excited about the news that she couldn't help but smile. Hopefully this would make him smile too. Their plan was going to work she just knew it. It had to, if any of them were to be happy anytime soon…

And there she saw him, sitting on their bench which was nestled in the sakura trees overlooking the lake. Her pace slowed as she saw his body posture; he was upset about something. He looked so tense staring blankly across the pond. He didn't even notice her approach, something that almost never happened.

"Kyoshiro," she called out to him less than five feet away. He jumped a bit at the sound of her voice intruding his thoughts and looked back to her with slight surprise.

"Hi," she finished and smiled.

"Hi," he responded and smiled back, but the smile didn't reach his eyes completely. She went around and sat down next to him on the bench.

"How are you?"

"Could be better, but doing better now because you're here," he said flirtatiously. She in turn giggled and batted his arm. "Well actually, remember that house that nobody was living in? The one on our block- it seems that the family moved back."

"I know. I just came over from there. I was helping them unpack," she said cheerfully.

"You know them?" He looked confused.

Sakuya nodded. "They're my relatives who just moved back from America and they brought my cousin with them, you know, the girl I told you about?"

Recognition flashed through his eyes and he instantly became very much interested in the conversation.

"You mean the one…"

Sakuya nodded.

"What did she say? Did she say yes? She said no, didn't she?"

"She said she'd think about it," Sakuya said cheerfully.

Kyoshiro stared at her. "She'd think about it?"

"That's as good as any 'yes,' mind you." She replied confidently.

He sighed and rubbed his face, "That's not a yes, that's a maybe. And maybe always means no."

"Well… I suppose that's true in most cases but not with Yuya."

"Her name's Yuya? Did you tell Yuya what he was like?"

"… No."

"Well that's why she didn't refuse you right away."

"How do you know that? She could have gone for it anyway, if only for the challenge."

"Unless she's unstable, I'd doubt it."

Sakuya sighed and looked out across the lake and thought about how she was going to convince the teen next to her that she was right. And after some time, she spoke again.

"It wasn't time to tell her about him yet."

Kyoshiro looked back at Sakuya.

"What?"

Sakuya turned her head to the man beside her with a sweet smile. "It wasn't the right time to tell her about him. She needs to make up her mind about helping us because, as sweet as she is, she is stubborn. Once she makes up her mind she'll do anything to complete her goal."

The wary teen stared at her in slight disbelief… could they really place their hope in this girl? Someone he had never even met?

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Ok, I'll trust you."

And with that the hopefully-would-be couple fell into a comfortable silence. It wasn't often they got to be together, and being just by themselves was even rarer. Kyoshiro couldn't help but wonder about the girl that might help them. _She must be kind, if Sakuya is willing to put so much trust into her. But she said she was stubborn as well… Is she hot tempered? I hope not, that type of personality would clash with Kyo's so much we wouldn't even have a hope!_

"-omething happen?" Sakuya interrupted his thoughts.

"Huh?" He replied rather intelligently. Good lord, he didn't even notice her talking!

"I said you looked tense when I showed up, did something happen?" She asked again.

Kyoshiro leaned back against the back of the bench. "Yeah, I kind of had a fight with Kyo again. It's somewhat ironic actually, Dad wanted to go over and great the people moving in and wanted us to go with him as well, said something about them being old family friends. Anyway, Kyo didn't want anything to do with that. Said _'Why the hell should I have to go over and act all friendly? I don't give a damn if they are old _'family friends_"_. And I said something about him being such a jerk and it just grew from there."

Sakuya gave him a worried look.

"It didn't get physical," he added hastily.

"So what happened? Did you go over?"

"Well, Kyo walked off and hasn't been back all day, I think Dad's going over when Mom gets home but I'm not sure." Kyoshiro replied. "Now I'm glad we didn't go over, I don't think it would have been good if they got introduced to each other yet."

"Defiantly not," Sakuya agreed. If the two had met then Yuya would most likely have said no when she found out that Kyo was the one Sakuya wanted her to woo.

The conversation drew to an end and they chatted pleasantly with each other until the time when they would have to part was near.

"School will be starting up soon, hopefully that will mean we will be able to see each other more often," Kyoshiro said wistfully.

"Yes, I think we will be able to be together more often, there's the chance we will be in the same class together," she said with a smile.

A small smile played on his lips, "You think so?"

Her smile broadened. "I know so."

Finally a full smile formed on his lips and he leaned forward towards her. She felt his hand brush against her cheek before his soft lips pressed against hers. It was a chaste kiss; she knew he wouldn't go further than that while they weren't together. And as Kyoshiro drew away, Sakuya fervently wished their plan would work.

Yuya sighed as she sat in the living room of her new house. There were boxes still stacked up around the corners of the room accompanied by piles of Styrofoam peanuts and old newspapers. Her family had spent the whole afternoon storing their possessions and making sure all the trinkets were in order.

She had wanted to go outside after Sakuya left but had gotten distracted by the busy nature of the house, so she had stayed to help her family and now here she was, starring at a T.V. that wasn't working yet. Night had fallen and the opportune time to go exploring around the neighborhood had passed. She wasn't foolhardy enough to wander in a strange town in the dark.

Or was she? This was a thought she pondered seriously. _To go or not to go? That is the question…_

It would be stupid to go out in an unfamiliar town in the dark, but the streets were well illuminated enough- she would just have to steer clear of shady areas and she would be safe. But she didn't know that for certain. This argument continued to circulate in her head until her mother decided for her.

"Yuya, could you go run to the store and buy me some butter? I forgot to buy some when I went shopping," her mother called from the kitchen.

"I don't know where it is."

"Oh, it's simple," she answered, "turn left on our street and go straight for five-ish blocks and a small convenience store is there."

"Ok then," and Yuya stood and walked over to the front entry hall to retrieve her shoes when her father's voice made her pause.

"Wait a minute. Isn't this a little bit dangerous?" He voiced from somewhere upstairs.

"It's fine. She'll be fine." Her mother returned.

"How would you know? We haven't lived here in a long time, things could have changed."

"I said it will be fine," Some steel had entered the mother's voice.

_And people wonder where my temper came from…_

"Would you like to go instead?" Yuya's mother challenged the man upstairs. There was no reply so Yuya left the house with her mother calling after her to hurry up.

The air outside was hot and carried a warm breeze that offered little relief from the stifling heat of summer. Her only grace was the fact that the sun would not be beating down on her as she trekked to the store. As she continued her walk she noticed that all the houses seemed to be from the same time period as hers. None had that peaceful elegance the old house behind hers held. _Maybe that old house came with all this land and little by little they sold off the pieces to survive._

Eventually she arrived at the store and bought the butter her mother so desired along with some candy she had found interesting and began her trek homeward. It was only then that she noticed that down one of the side streets there was what seemed like an entrance to a park.

"That must be the park Nii-sama was talking about…" Yuya stated aloud. She was sorely tempted to find out if it was but she looked back to the bag that she carried. Her mother would need the butter to make dinner. But once again, something else decided for her. Upon later reflection she determined that she had indeed been stupid and should have never let other things make up her mind.

However, right as Yuya was deciding to come back to check it out at a more appropriate time than dark-thirty she saw a shadow dash into the entrance from the corner of her eye. She whipped her head up to see if she really saw anything. Nothing had changed, but she couldn't help but wonder what it was. And soon enough, curiosity won her mind over and she strayed off her course to investigate.

As she neared the dark corner of the street Yuya heard the murmuring of voices. They weren't loud or very frightening but for some reason for her they carried a hint of malice. _That's probably because I'm hearing voices in the middle of the night…_ _in a dark, unfamiliar place._

Closer Yuya crept until her back was pressed up against the wall and stayed there, lest she be seen by the owners of the voices. Yuya still couldn't hear what was being said but she could distinguish two voices now. One was higher pitched, obviously female, with a sort of husky quality to it. Yuya supposed that to most the voice would have sounded sexy, enchanting, but to her it sounded somewhat whiney. And it talked a lot. The other voice was deeper and rich, a low rumble she could barely make out. This voice barely talked at all, but when it did Yuya couldn't help but think that it had an annoyed feel to it.

She didn't know why she felt this way about the voices in that were in the park in the middle of the night, she just did.

_It is in the middle of the night… Oh, crap Mom's grocery's! I shouldn't be distracted by voices that might belong to rapists. Besides it's wrong to eavesdrop on strangers._

And with that thought she was about to turn and stealthily leave her spying place when suddenly the female voice rose in volume.

"I don't understand it!" the voice exclaimed, the sudden outburst freezing Yuya in place.

"Why don't you love me? I would give you everything!"

_Yep, _Yuya thought, _definitely annoying._

There was a moment of silence. Apparently the person with the deep voice had nothing to say to that.

"Is it because you're still in love with-," the woman was cut off. With what Yuya couldn't fathom, possibly a death glare since she didn't hear anything but the deafening silence that followed.

"Okuni…" If the deep voice was annoyed before, it was beyond pissed now. "Shut up."

It wasn't just a 'shut up', but a command meant to be obeyed. Even Yuya felt compelled to stop talking, although she had yet to actually say anything. The dark voice carried a threat, cold as the sharp-edge of a sword, controlling and bending all to his will. Command was carried out and even the tree's stopped rustling.

When minutes passed and nothing happened, Yuya assumed that they had left. So she moved, just enough to peek around the wall and into the park. Her movement caused the bag in her hand to rustle and break the silence.

"Who's there?" the woman exclaimed, whipping her head around to the entrance. Yuya, now thankful for the dark shadows in which she stood, saw the woman was standing alone. And from what she could see, this 'Okuni' was gorgeous with pale white skin that shone in the moonlight and obsidian hair that contrasted her skin.

The owner of the deep voice was gone though and Yuya felt oddly disappointed- she had wanted to know what type of man could have such a powerful voice.

"I said who's there!" Okuni called out again and started striding over to where Yuya stood. Realizing that it would be bad if this woman caught her Yuya quickly whipped back the way she came and proceeded to run. She didn't stop running until she reached her house.

When she finally stopped Yuya looked back, half expecting the pale beauty to be right behind her. When she didn't hear or see anything she sighed and hoped to God that there wouldn't be any repercussions. With another sigh Yuya escaped back into her new house.

So… did you like it? Is it ok? Am I going in an OK direction? Does my writing suck? Am I bastardizing their characters?

Please tell me by reviewing! I love hearing what everyone has to say! Help me boost my ego by telling me I'm a genius, I'll love you forever and it makes me write faster.


	4. Chapter 3: Glaring Beef Pot

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon right before the beginning of school and Yuya was out shopping. And even though her new school had uniforms and she didn't need to buy clothes for the first day of school anymore; Yuya still felt compelled to go shopping.

_Old habits are hard to break, I suppose_, she thought with a smile as she left the third clothing store with bags in tow. _Maybe I should buy some hair accessories too…_

Yuya looked around the busy street to get some incentive on where a store that carried such items would be found and low and be holed, across and down the street was a store that had a bright pink sign. It defiantly looked like the type of store that would suit her needs, especially since it had a picture of a woman that had a headband with a giant bow and a gazillion other barrettes and clips in her hair. Deciding that was as good as any place to start, Yuya walked down to the cross walk. She couldn't help but think that somebody in the sky must have liked her today because when she arrived at the intersection the light to cross turned green.

The blonde was about to cross the street when a strong but delicious smell hit her like a ton of bricks and her stomach growled… loudly. Yuya stopped in her tracks and blushed when the bystanders around her started to giggle. She dropped her head down and glared at her stomach for her embarrassment.

_It hasn't been THAT long sense breakfast!... has it?_ Yuya whipped out her cell phone to check and almost gasped at the time, it was almost two! The stomach growled its protest again and the embarrassed girl looked up to see where the smell was coming from. She looked around her surroundings but when a restaurant was not obvious sight a small frowned formed on her lips. Where was that delicious smell coming from? She looked around again and it seemed to her that the sent wafted from the opposite direction of the cute hair shop. She looked back to the hair shop to wondering if she should just pop in there first then go eat but her stomach growled yet again and she turned on her heal to follow the sent before it finished it's annoyed rumble.

Yuya walked down the block to the next corner, paused, and then turned right when her eyes did not see a restaurant. Getting annoyed at the fact that the smell was stronger now but there was still no restaurant in sight Yuya marched onward, tasting the hints of garlic in the air along with what smelled like grilled beef. She walked almost all the way to the other street when aroma became so pungent her stomach growled loudly and she stopped. She closed her eyes and turned her head in the direction which the sent was coming from.

In-between two buildings was a short ally way that had a small illuminated sign reading "beef pot" in front of a shabby looking door. It looked cramped, slightly dirty, and way too sketchy. Almost like an abandoned place that someone thought they should take care of but failed in their attempt and Yuya couldn't help but wonder who would have a restaurant in such a place; it defiantly didn't seem like the place that would attract customers... well, legal ones.

But still the sent pulled her forward, until she stood right next to the crappy door in the little ally and could now read a small menu that was tacked on to the door, which was really nothing more than a piece of paper someone had written on and taped to the door. It was barely legible so Yuya leaned in closer to make out the kanji.

_Beef Pot, Beef Curry... Smudged... Teriyaki? Beef with rice... oh... that's it... not much of a selection._

The hungry blond sighed and straightened up casting her eyes back to the entrance of the ally, maybe there was another place further up the street. Her stomach growled at the thought of having to wait longer for food and Yuya became irritated at whoever decided not to have a decent restaurant in this vicinity. _I mean come on! There should be a place where you won't have to feel like you might loose your life just by opening the door! Seriously! They ought to find the bas-_

She wasn't able to finish the thought because at that moment the decrepit door flew open and something hard collided with her. She gave a squeal and landed on her bottom. HARD. A jarring pain flew straight from her tail bone up to her jaw which got smacked by something.

"Ow! Sonofa- what the hell?" Yuya exclaimed as she brought her hand to her sore jaw. After making sure it wasn't too hurt she looked up to see who had run in to her, and instantly wished she hadn't. Staring, no glaring down at her were a pair of blood red eyes that seemed to be oozing hatred.

Yuya was frozen with terror, her heart pounding in her chest._ OMG a friggen yakuza came out. CRAP CRAP CRAP! I'M GONNA DIE! _

She felt very much like those poor rabbits who looked into the eyes of a wolf... or any other predator for that matter. And she visibly jumped when he growled down at her.

"Move," was all he said.

Yuya was thiiiis close to scrambling out of his way when something stopped her. It wasn't really her fault, and she was hurt from the incident and all the man could say was 'move'? The blonde's irritation suddenly rose, who did this guy think he is?

So Yuya didn't move. Her stubbornness took over and she glared up at the man.

"Aren't you going to help me up?" Yuya asked with attitude not appearing to be the slightest bit bothered at all from her venerable position on the dirty floor or the threatening aura rolling of the strange man in waves. She did herself credit by not jumping when the stranger growled again.

"I said move."

Yuya frowned and assumed a look of complete insolence and decided to look at the man instead of respond. He had shaggy black hair that got a red tint from the lights... but then again that might be his hair color. Straight nose, tall, not rugged but not girly... kinda handsome... dressed in a black collared shirt… _defiantly arrogant._

"Kyo-han your still here?"

The voice came from behind the man in black, 'Kyo' Yuya presumed.

_Is it his friend?_ At that thought fear started to grip her again, _are they going to hurt me?_

And that fear instantly dissipated when she saw a man wearing a pink stripped bandana and a... frilly apron. If she wasn't so shocked at the recent development she would have burst out laughing at the comical differences of the two men.

The newcomer noticed her and let out a small gasp before erupting in speech. "Oh god! Are you ok? Did you fall? Wow, your pretty. Kyo-han how could you leave her on the floor? Here move out of the way. Hi, pretty miss! Do you need help, can I have your number. My names Benitora, you're really pretty. What's your name? Do you have boyfriend? Kyo-han! Please move!"

The pink man was obviously distressed at her predicament. Suddenly the whole ordeal just seemed too funny and she broke into small chuckles which turned into gut holding laughter. It took a whole 3 minutes before she could breathe normally and wipe the tears that had formed in her eyes. The two men were staring down at her, one concerned the other under the impression she was insane.

"I'm fine, it was just a fall."

Finally getting the angry man to move, Benitora extended a hand down to her. "Here, let me help you up."

Yuya grasped his hand and let him pull her up, when she was finally on two feet she proceeded dusting herself off.

"So what is your name?" Benitora asked with a smile.

Yuya smiled back, "Yuya, my name's Yuya Shiina. It's nice to meet you Benitora."

"You're really pretty you know? Kyo-han how could you leave her on the floor like that?"

Said man glared down to the pink man, as if he was above awnsering such a question. He looked back to Yuya with the same glare, like it was entirely her fault for him having to waste time. She frowned and returned his glare.

_Be damned if I'm intimidated by him._

"Kyo-han?"

Kyo must have decided he had wasted enough time and pushed past the two without saying another word. Yuya continued to glare at his retreating form until it disappeared behind the corner of the building.

"What's with him? He was so rude!"

"Oh don't mind him. So Yuya-han… I can call you that right? Are you hungry? If so please come inside! We'll make you something to eat!" Benitora said cheerfully.

Yuya smiled, _It'd be best if I just forgot about that Kyo, what are the odds I'll ever meet him again._ "I'd like that, thank you."

And without further hesitation, Yuya followed Benitora into the shabby restaurant.

I am soooooo sorry it took me so long to write this short chapter... if it felt like there wasn't a plot in the beginning were right! But any who, for some reason I don't think ill have very much to focus on so I'll be able to write more often. So again sorry for the crappy chapter, thank you for your patience, and I promises to write (hopefully) more and better next time. 


	5. Chapter 4: Dangerous Dry Goods

You know how people say don't judge a book by its cover because most of the time it's better than it looks on the outside? Yeah, that didn't apply to the restaurant Yuya was now standing in. Just like the outside the place was dark, dirty, and broken down. Three tables with chairs that didn't quite match were crammed up against a wall. The majority of the room was filled with a bar with mixed stools, most had tape jobs on their legs holding them together.

"Sit here Yuya-han!" Benitora exclaimed while pointing to a stool at the bar that hadn't received much damage.

He then darted behind the counter and through a side door, leaving Yuya by herself in the rundown room. She shifted her weight nervously, looking at the decrepit stool and wondered vaguely if it could hold her weight. The room was silent creating a thick and heavy atmosphere and the air seemed to be coated in a thick layer of dust, making it difficult to breathe. Yuya walked forward to the stool and slowly sat down in it, hoping to god that it wouldn't give out on her. She poised herself on the edge if the seat, muscles ready to be used in case something happened but after about two minutes passed and nothing happened she felt rather silly. She shifted again sitting further into the chair but intently froze when it groaned and creaked in protest. It still didn't break and Yuya relaxed into it, _I wonder what Benitora is doing._

As soon as that thought left her there was a loud crash and a flurry of curses and insults after it. Yuya jumped and whipped her head to the door where the sound came from.

"You're such a fuckin' dumbass! What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm cooking! What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" That voice was Benitora and Yuya wondered who the oust voice was.

"Yeah right, you can't cook to save your life. Move over before you burn this damn place to the ground."

Benitora then shuffled through the door with a dejected look on his face. The slumped form with the poring face plus the pink frilly apron was too much and she giggled. He looked up at her and his face did a complete 180, he smiled and practically pranced up to her wig an excited look in his eyes looking very much like an over excited puppy.

"Hey Yuya-han, would you like something to drink?"

Yuya smiled and said that tea would be just fine and the pink tiger turned to get her the beverage. And after a few seconds he placed a steamy cup of tea in front of her.

"So, Yuya-han, how old are you? Are you in high school?"

"Yeah, I'm going to be starting at Mibu high on Monday."

"Oh really? That's where I go! What grade will you be in," he asked with a friendly smile.

Yuya let out a sigh of relief then, _at least I'll have one friend_. "I'm going to be a sophomore, what grade are you in?"

"Baka-tora," an angry voice called from the kitchen, "Stop flirting with the customers!"

Benitora's head whipped to the empty door, "Stop calling me that!... And I'm not flirting!"

A man appeared at the door; he was about the same height as Yuya and had a fair complexion. He was a mixture between beautiful and handsome, kind of boyish. But it wasn't his looks that had shock coursing through her. It was the fact that his eyes were closed and remained so as he came forward carrying a bowl of food. Her sunrise grew more when he approached Benitora, shoved him away, then turned and set he bowl which she could now see was a beef bowl with sauce drizzled over it. _How could a blind person do that?_

"Akira look at what you did! She's shocked speechless! Do you enjoy creeping people out?"

The teen identified as Akira turned his head in the general direction of, in his opinion, his moronic co-worker. "I can't see her face," he replied partly, "and yes, I do enjoy it."

"Jerk."

"Dumbass."

The two continued to squabble with each other and Yuya looked down at the food in front of her, it smelled incredibly delicious and looked good too. Not wanting to waste any more time, Yuya reached for her chopsticks and said 'Itadakimasu' under her breath.

She was thiiiis close to putting the savory morsel in her mouth when the there was a loud crash behind her. The noise caused her to jump, dropping the piece of meat into her bowl again and whip around to see what happened. In the entry way, with the door now thoroughly damaged, stood a silhouette of a tall woman, her hip cocked to one side and a large bag in hand. The two teenagers who had been fighting were dead silent and regarded this newcomer with dreadful silence. Nobody moved out of shock and, Yuya would later come to realize, fear.

Benitora, not being someone who can tolerate awkward silences, chuckled nervously. Later he would remember this moment as one of the biggest mistake of his life. The sound caused a spiral of events uncontrollable by any human hands; the wheel of fate began to turn.

The small laugh, unbeknownst to the teen, further annoyed the person in the door way who was already beyond anger from a previous encounter earlier on in the day. The laugh was just enough to push the person beyond the edge of humanity and rage raced through their body like how a drunkard would flip at the lack of complimentary peanuts at a bar. An aura of pure hatred enveloped the figure as they raised their arm and proceeded to chuck the bag in its hand at the frilly boy. With true aim the bag, which was filled with heavy cans, soared across the room and hit Benitora squarely in the face. He blacked out from the force and fell into a heap on the floor.

"I FRIGGEN COME HOME FROM DOING ALL THE SHOPPING AND YOU'RE FRIGGEN LAUGHING YOUR ASSES OFF!"

Akira placed his arms in a defensive position in case there was a chance of another projectile. "We weren't doing anything," he said quietly.

The person marched across the room, reached over the bar, and grabbed Akira by the front of his apron.

"THE HELL YOU WEREN'T!" the strange woman shouted into Akira's face.

Benitora regained conciseness and stood with a groan, gripping his bandana covered head. The beginnings of a massive headache in motion.

"Honestly," Akira continued, "we were just being nice to the customer Akari!"

This caused Akari to pause, her eye's narrowed and she turned her head for the first time to Yuya and appraised the young girl. Every muscle in Yuya's body tensed in anticipation, her sense of fight or flight kicking in, _but in this case I have the feeling it's not really an option to fight…_

"Oh!" Akari gasped and a large smile formed on her face. "I didn't know we had a customer," the tall woman said in a sweet voice, she let go of Akira with a little push and sat down on the stool next to Yuya. She placed her elbow on the counter and rested her chin on her hand.

"Hi, I'm Akari, what's your name?"

Yuya felt a strained smile form on her face, _Scary…_

"Yuya Shiina"

"Oh! That's a lovely name! I'm the owner of this shop; those two idiots are just my little slaves." Akari informed her casting a little glare in the two aproned teen's direction.

"We're not your sla-" Akira started but stopped when Benitora clasped his hand across his mouth.

"Yes, just as Akari-sama said…" Benitora agreed with a quivering smile.

"What are you two still doing out here? Shouldn't you two be in the kitchen?"

And with that, their animal instincts kicked in and the boys scurried back into the kitchen.

"Hmph, useless boys. Anyway, Yuya-chan, do you mind me asking a few questions? I don't get to see many foreigners down here" Akari said with an expectant smile

"Sure, I don't really mind…" _It seems like you'd ask questions no matter what I'd say…_

"Why are you in Japan? Are you visiting or did you move here?"

"Well, my family moved here my dad's job was relocated."

"OH! Then let's be good friends! I'll show you around the town!"

"Well, actually, my cousin is going to do that already…" Yuya sweat dropped.

Akari frowned, "you're cousin? Who is it?"

"Sakuya Shiina. She's been helping me out by showing the sights."

"Sakuya-chan's your cousin? Who would have thought… Well, she doesn't know all of the sights so I'll show you some!"

Needless to say, Yuya only heard the first half of the comment. Seriously, what where the chances of running into one of Sakuya's friend, or on second thought an acquaintance, especially in this little run down shop? … _Ok, well maybe the odds aren't that low. But it's still a one in a hundred chances._

"You know Sakuya?"

"Oh yeah, she comes here on a regular basis."

This little comment piqued Yuya's curiosity more. _Then maybe she might know Kyoshiro._ Yuya thought about that idea for a little bit while taking a bite of her stake, which, by the way was delicious, then a revelation came to her. _Maybe, just maybe, Akari might know something about Kyoshiro's brother!_

"Hey, Akari-san? Do you know someone named Kyoshiro Mibu?" Yuya asked, her pulse quickening at the idea of finally getting an idea of what she was going to be up against.

"Yeah, I do. Why?"

"Then do you know anything about his bro-"

"HEY AKARI!" Benitora's voice shouted from the kitchen

"WHAT?" Akari snapped back.

"Bon-san's on the phone! Say's its important."

Akari let out a heavy sigh and stood. "Sorry, Yuya-chan, I've got to take this call. We'll continue our chat latter." She said over her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen.

Yuya sighed. It seemed as if no one would tell her who this brother-guy was. She didn't even know the name of the guy. Every time she asked Sakuya about him she would change to subject or give a very frustratingly vague answer. Her shoulders slumped slightly; maybe she should just wait patiently for Sakuya to tell her. She would eventually have to know if she was going to woo the man… _But I want to know NOW~~_ her insides screamed. She decided that she would ask Akari when she came back out.

And unfortunately for Yuya, when Akari did come back out she headed straight for the door, calling out a good bye to Yuya, saying that she should come back sometime soon and an order for Benitora to clean up the damned cans that were still on the floor and Benitora, glad to be out of the kitchen, stepped over the cans and returned to his original spot leaning on the counter. For the remainder of lunch, the two chatted with each other which consisted of Benitora talking the whole time and Yuya eating and answering the occasional question. When lunch finished Yuya stood to leave, talking out her wallet to pay the bill.

"You don't have to pay Yuya-chan, it's on me. Just promise to come back!"

The scrooge in Yuya and her conscious battled between letting her meal be paid for or paying it for herself.

"How about I pay for half, and promise to come back soon?" The two sides compromised.

Benitora grinned and accepted her offer, giving her a big hug to seal the deal.

By the time Yuya left the restaurant, she was exhausted from the ordeal and unfortunately had to forgo the trip to the cute pink store and decided that a long nap was in order.

School started next week and she had yet to find out who her mystery man is and Yuya couldn't help but feel a sense of unease take over her as she walked home with these unanswered questions in her head.

Hello everyone! First let me apologize for taking so long to write this chapter. My life has been pretty hectic at the moment, but good news is on the way! It's my last week in winter guard and Champion ships is this weekend which means I will have nothing better to do but write soon. Hopefully this chapter doesn't suck and you enjoy it!

Well hopefully there aren't any grammatical errors in this, my lazy beta reader didn't want to put the effort forth so if you see any grammar problems please don't hesitate to message me so I can rub it in her face~


	6. Bonus Chapter The Marraige

She looked into the mirror and stared at the reflection that looked back at her. It was strange, she never did like how she looked. The long blond hair, the green eyes, the peach skin, the pouty lips. Others liked them, that was for sure. Boy's had flirted with her and girls had teased her, all either jealous or fascinated because of how she looked.

Never did anyone think about the personality of the girl. The bright personality, the tomboyish nature, the go-get-'er attitude. No one seemed to care about how she felt or thought. Not even her own adoptive parents. They had set her up with an arranged marriage. An arranged marriage with the son of one of the most respected families in the small town in which they lived in.

And she had agreed, had suppressed her anger at things being decided for her and followed her parents will. She had kept up the appearances of an agreeable daughter fulfilling her duty in life.

Mibu Kyoshiro was an kind man. But he was immediately enchanted by her looks and believed her to be a frail woman that would need his protection in life. He had treated her delicately during the Omai and would probably continue to treat her as such.

She glared at her reflection now, dressed in her white wedding kimono, make-up enhancing her natural beauty, her golden hair bound and put up in the most indicate fashion. The young woman sighed. Was she really going to allow her fate to be decided by other people? True, that was how she had lived most of her life, but no other decision had been as serious as this one. Her parents loved her and had raised her with care. She felt her chains to her family strengthen their hold on her.

A maid came into the room and helped her finish her attire, putting on the head dress and making sure the kimono hung as it should. Then after a very short while in her opinion it was time to leave the sanctuary of the room and proceed to the ceremony. She felt a tremble start in her spine and work its way up her back.

"... Could... you please get me some of water?" Yuya stuttered to the maid.

The girl smiled as if she understood Yuya's apprehension. "Of course ma'am." The girl bowed and left the room. Yuya had succeeded in buying herself some time.

The full blow of the situation at had came upon her then. Good Lord! She was about to marry a man she didn't love because someone had expected it of her! She felt an angry, determined expression set on her face. She stood up in one fluid motion and in no more than thirteen seconds she undid what it took three maids two hours to accomplish.

She pulled off the complicated kimono and yanked her hair out of its confines. She retrieved her summer yukata from the closet and redressed herself as fast as she could. Once she was decent she threw open the shoji screen grabbed her shoes and ran.

She ran to the edge of the shinto shrine where the stone pathway ended and a small forest trail wound its way through the dark trees of the mountain. She paused there, looking back at all she was about to leave. Her father would never forgive her, her mother would be heart broken. Everyone would be gossiping, the grooms family would be bitter, and she didn't know what Mibu-san would think.

A smile drew across her face because for some reason, she frankly didn't care. She turned on her heel and darted into the forest.

She must have ran for a solid hour before she slowed down to walk. Her lungs were aching and gasping for air, her limbs tired and scorching in pain. She collapsed onto the dirt pathway, looking up into the sky. There had to be people searching for her at this point. With that thought she stood on shaky legs and continued her trek. But she turned off the road and headed straight into the woods.

It was only when night fell that Yuya stopped to rest. They would send a search party after her but she had at least put fourteen miles between her and the town. It would take some time before she had to worry about anyone coming for her.

She rested her back against a tree and looked up through the gaps in the foliage to the stars in the sky. And for the first time in what seemed like forever, Yuya was happy. As tired as she was, she felt free and independent. She did not regret her decision to leave. A smile pulled the corners of her mouth up and she relaxed further into the tree. Closing her eyes she sank into a deep peaceful sleep.

Yuya awoke with a start. A rather large crack of a branch had awoken her from her dreamless sleep. She looked around, alert of the possible danger that surrounded her for the first time. She had no idea of what it could be but she hoped to god it wasn't a bear or worse, a townsperson. She shrank her form and brought herself into a crouched position on the ground. Looking around she listened silently for any other sound. She heard a growl then, deep and rumbling and without thinking she bolted in the opposite direction.

She heard the crash of paws on the ground chasing her as she ran. Her past exhaustion gone she ran for all that she was worth. Eventually she saw a small light ahead of her and she took it as a possibility to survive so she ran to it. What she discovered was a small campfire that was nearly dead with a person sitting against a tree opposite to were she stood. He wore a red hiori and armor with a hand resting on a very long sword. Long dark red hair and beautiful crimson eyes. He was glaring at her with those red eyes full of suspicion.

"Help me." It wasn't a plea or a question; it was a demand.

The stranger cocked an eyebrow, almost questioning her sanity. But the growl of the animal was behind her now. She ran to the other side of the fire and stood next to the samurai.

It was a wolf, rabid and angry that his prey had almost escaped. It frothed with an insane look in his eye and glared at the two people. She looked back down at the samurai but he was no longer watching her and had directed his attention to the wolf.

There was an intangible battle then. A heavy aura surrounded the small clearing and the flames quivered with the power. Yuya herself was shaking from the power the samurai was emitting. The wolf visibly deflated and retreated from the clearing. Even a rabid wolf knew better than to pick a fight with this rouge samurai.

After the wolf had left the aura disappated like it hadn't been there at all. The only trace was a small undercurrent in the air that seemed deep and throbbing. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Yuya sunk to her knee's and exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding. After a minute of silence she looked over to the samurai. He hadn't moved an inch in this whole ordeal and now seemed to be ignoring her completely.

"Thanks," she said in a shaky voice.

He didn't respond or show any sign that he had even heard her. Yuya felt herself feeling strangely annoyed; however, she quelled the irritation that had started to form, reasoning that getting angry at this stranger wouldn't be wise considering the aura he had created. And considering that he had just saved her.

"Who are you?" she asked politely. It was then that he turned his attention back to her and looked at her. Well, more like glared at her.

"Aren't you nosy?" he remarked. "Mind your own business dog-face," he growled and turned away again.

Yuya was stunned. Had he just... insulted her? He had! The nerve of this guy! Her irritation rose and she couldn't help but say snide remark back.

"Sorry to disturb you then, I was only trying to thank you." the blonde huffed.

"You really don't know how to shut up do you?" he asked her calmly.

"What the hell! I was only trying to thank you! Is there a problem with that?"

"Yes, now get lost. You annoy me."

Indignation rose in her. How dare he insult her, then tell her to get lost! Her stubborn streak came to the surface, something that hadn't risen since she was a little girl. She glared at the man, full blown pout forming on her face.

"No."

The man glared at her from the corner of his eye, a frown on his lips. Her sensible side told her that annoying this man wasn't a very good idea. Hell, being in the middle of a forest with a strange and very strong man was not a very good idea. But years of repressed orneriness was forcing its way up and she just didn't care anymore.

"I'm not leaving until you accept my thanks," she told him stubbornly.

He sized her up, and she glared full force into his eyes not once flinching from his gaze. Then he smirked.

"Do what you will," he told her bluntly, then closed his eyes and continued his original state of ignoring her.

Yuya didn't know why but she smiled. Her first real smile in months. Reclining against a tree she pondered about her situation. She wondered what her family would do about the wedding. Somehow she thought that the role of Mibu Kyoshiro's bride would be placed on her younger, adopted sister, a sweet girl name Sakuya that Yuya suspected had developed feelings for her ex-fiance.

She knew that things would work out now. She just knew it. She looked back at the man next to her and felt that when the morning came she would follow him.

And everything would be just fine.

Just a little short story that I wrote 'cuz I was in the mood. My friend showed me this website called write or die and I had to write 1,000 words in 45 minutes. Please review! It's not a very good story but I hope it is acceptable!

Now, before you get angry with me the next chapter is written and all it needs is to be Beta'd and then corrected and I can upload it! So hopefully you people (if you exist) can enjoy this for the time being. Sorry for the wait!

Please review


	7. Chapter 5: Gravity Still Works

She was running, legs pumping, heart pounding, lungs burning, willing herself to go faster. Faster than humanly possible, to escape her pursuer who seemed to be coming closer despite her every stride. It was silent as her bare feet slapped against the pavement. She knew she was running down a street but there was no light to tell where she was, no street lamps, the windows in the buildings that surrounded her were dark and the black sky seemed to have swallowed the moon and the stars.

Still she ran. She had to; her mind screamed that there was nothing ever so important as escaping and finding safety, pushing her muscles to work harder beyond all human limitations while somewhere in the back of her unconscious mind she thought if the others could have super human skills she could do it to. But soon she came across a small intersection and slowed. Panting heavily she whipped her head around at the three possible exits she could take. She started to panic slightly when she realized that she didn't know where to go.

Then the woman felt it. A strong aura that permeated through the air and straight to her very core and light started to spill from the sky. Confused she looked up to find a sliver of the moon penetrating the clouds and descending onto the pavement. There was only one street illuminated in the moon light and she felt a smile start to form on her face. She was almost there; an inexplicable feeling of hope overcame her as she felt drawn to that one street. So she followed her lighted path, her cheeks flushed, golden hair glimmering in the moon shine.

_Closer, almost there!_ Every step she took no longer weighed her down. She felt herself growing lighter as she ran to the aura. But up ahead the light abruptly ended, the road vanished into darkness and an overwhelming chill came over her that caused Yuya to stop dead in her tracks. The surrounding scenery turned black leaving the frightened girl in the only spot of light. Tears started to form in her eyes as a sense of hopelessness washed over her, she was trapped and alone.

_Come on Yuya-girl! Stop crying, it's not going to do you any good. Besides it will just make him…_ That train of thought caused her to pause despite the dire situation. _Who on earth am I talking about? And why, whoever he is, should I care what he thinks if I cry? WAIT! Focus… I need to get out of this situation first._ So with new found courage, Yuya looked around at her surroundings trying to find something, anything to better her situation.

Instead she found something that terrified her, a pair of red eyes glowed in the blackness. They felt like they striped her of all that she was and stared deep into her soul. Trembling in what felt like fear, she stared mutely back, her mouth hanging slightly agape. Then the weirdest thing happened, she felt the fear that shook her core turn into something else. Warmth spread across her chest and she felt oddly safe. The eyes changed from something dangerous to something that reassured her with the equivalence of a blanket or a nightlight.

Yuya tentatively reached her hand out to the eyes, pleading them to save her from the thing that plagued her steps. However she didn't get very far when a hand clamped down on her shoulder and squeezed hard. She screamed.

Yuya bolted upright in her bed gripping her bed sheets to her chest. She panted and was soaked with a cold sweat. _What a weird _dream she though and shivered. She looked around at her surroundings allowing herself to take big shaky breaths and letting reality settle back into place. She was in her room, in her bed, and in her pajama's. Not running around on some street and there was no one else in the room. She looked at the clock on the stand next to her, it was 7:30.

Rolling her shoulders and stretching her arms out Yuya yawned and wondered why she was up this early. After pondering that thought for a bit and not finding a good reason, the teen flopped back onto her bed determined to get another few hours of sleep. She was half way to unconsciousness when a thought tugged at the back of her mind.

_There was something I had to do today._

…_.._

"OH CRAP!" The girl shouted as she bolted out of her bed and practically ran down the hallway. "I'M LATE!"

Fifteen minutes later and one two minute shower later, Yuya was dressed in her new school uniform carrying her bag in one hand with a piece of toast hanging out of her mouth running down the streets. _I can't believe I slept late on my first day of school! Damn it! I'm such a moron! _The young girl berated herself.

She was almost there when Yuya rounded a corner almost a little too quickly and collided into the back of a person in front of her. Both landed on the ground but Yuya managed to hit her head against the cement. She groaned in pain at her new headache.

"Ow, that hurt…" she muttered to herself rubbing her forehead.

"Ugh." She heard the person in front of her moan in pain and instantly got up to say sorry. But stopped when she realized that the back of the person she had run into looked too much like the guy she ran into before. Her heart thudded in her chest. What were the chances she would run into him again? Literally? _Oh, gods. PLEASE don't be him._ She could help but pray that it wasn't.

The man stood up and dusted himself off before turning to Yuya to help her up. She sucked in her breath in shock, it was him!

"Hey, are you ok?" The guy asked _… not him?_

It was a pair of blue eyes that looked back into her green ones. That was when she noticed the subtle differences. This new stranger she had mowed down had more boyish features, had a bluer shine to his hair and wasn't as tan. He looked similar however was missing the rough edge that the rude guy had. He had blue eyes. Not fiery ruby ones. But… he looked so much like that guy… that Kyo person…

Yuya hadn't realized she had been staring with her mouth open until the victim to her morning crisis kneeled in front of her and reached out to her.

"Umm… Hello? You ok?" Concern covered his features and practically oozed from his blue eyes. It was enough to shake Yuya back to reality and she shook her head.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm uh, sorry. Are you ok?" she asked this stranger.

Concern was quickly replaced by a bright and friendly smile, "yeah I'm fine."

The genuine smile was contagious and Yuya smiled back at the stranger. She stood up and dusted herself off, "I'm sorry for running into you like that! I wasn't paying attention enough."

"No problem," he said and picked up her bag which luckily hadn't emptied all of its contents onto the street. "You seem to be in a hurry where are you going?" he asked while offering her the bag.

"I'm kinda running late for school." She replied politely, as if it wasn't obvious from the uniform she was wearing. Later on in the day she would reflect on that question and wonder if the man was a bit of an idiot… But at the moment, the sound of a bell rang through the air and Yuya visibly paled.

"I'M LATE" Yuya yelled. She snatched her bag from the guy and darted round him. Looking back and tossing another apology to the man before continuing her mad dash to school.

Kyoshiro watched as the blond girl headed to the high school and continued on his way in the same direction. _That must be her, _he thought with a smile,_ the girl that Sakuya was talking about._ She seemed to be energetic enough, that was for sure. As the teen reflected on the accidental meeting his smile dropped a little as he remembered the girl's reaction. That was surprise? No, shock on her face after the collision. Which he supposed was normal when someone runs into a stranger, but there was recognition on her face that changed into relief after he spoke…

_Could she have run into Kyo already?_ Kyoshiro hoped not. He wasn't still completely on board with this plan no matter how much Sakuya said it would work. He pondered this thought some more as he walked onto the school campus and headed inside the school building. He'd probably be eating lunch with the new girl so he could figure it out then.

Yuya sat down in her seat with a heavy sigh. After getting to the school she had lost her way and finally found the principal's office a good twenty minutes later. The woman had smiled but was obviously peeved at Yuya's tardiness and had curtly told her where to go and which teacher to look for. She arrived to her classroom and was relieved that the principle had put her as freshman. Yuya was remotely startled that they had placed her in the lowest class when she remembered that sophomore in America was freshman here.

When she walked in Yuya sighed in relief when she noted that her cousin was in this class. Introduction had gone fairly easy, there were some but very few questions for her, and she was told to sit by in back of the classroom by the window.

Resting her elbow on the desk she took advantage of her new position and gazed out the window. Allowing her nerves to relax, the slightly stressed teen watched the clouds float in the sky and let her mind wander. Reflecting on the incidents that morning she felt a small blush arise on her face. _I can't believe I just ran into someone again. Wow, Yuya. That really takes some skill. _She hadn't stopped to think about it then but Yuya now remembered that he had worn a white collared shirt and dark blue pants… which looked exactly the same as the other male students that surrounded her in the classroom.

Her head dropped, _Oh, god. That's just my luck too. And chances are he was probably really popular and will come find me and hordes of girls will hate me now… Ok, that's too much like a manga to be real._

Her thoughts were distracted when she saw movement on the ground outside her window. There was a boy walking into the school. She didn't know why, but the tardy figure had arrested all of her attention. It walked slowly, or more precisely, it walked without much purpose to the school building. Still there was something languid in its movements.

As it got closer to the building she saw that it was a boy with black hair and kinda tan skin but couldn't make out any features yet. _Hey! He's not even carrying a bag! He's probably a delinquent… _She thought with some envy. **HE **could show up to school late and not bring a bag 'cause he probably didn't care and the teachers probably didn't care either. _… Lucky bastard. _

Yuya froze. As if on cue, the persons head turned and he seemed to be looking straight up at her. She shivered as she felt a pressure coming from the man in the yard. And for some reason she knew it was him, the one with the red eyes. Not the blue eyed one.

This one was Kyo.

Sakuya was watching Yuya as she stared out the window. Actually, the majority of the class was watching her except a small few which tried to ignore her. She had risen half way out of her chair with a hand pressed against the glass completely focused on what was in the court yard, _or who was in the court yard _Sakuya thought to herself. She had a feeling she knew who it was and was pleasantly surprised at the reaction it elicited out of her cousin.

"Shiina-san," the peeved teacher called out. The transfer student still didn't respond and instead seemed to lean closer to the window.

Sakuya was unable to help her thoroughly distracted and could do nothing but watch the teacher pick up an eraser and chuck it at the girls head. The disgruntled teacher hit her square in the head and shouted her name. This time he was able to capture the young girl's attention.

"Shiina-san, I don't know what they do in America, but while you are here, please pay attention." The embarrassed girl quickly sat back down in her seat mumbling an apology with a bright crimson blush covering her cheeks.

After a few minutes, when the classes chuckles subsided, Sakuya say Yuya glance back out the window. She watched as her face fell slightly and the brunette could guess that the object of her attention had disappeared. Sakuya smiled, things seemed to be progressing quite well.

Yuya sat on the ground with an exasperated sigh. After the little incident this morning the teacher seemed adamant on the fact that she needed to pay attention and thus called on her for the answer to every other question, much to Yuya's annoyance. She grumbled as she opened her lunch box and angrily stabbed at her food and tossed it into her mouth.

"That damn teacher…." She groused, "Picking,_ munchmunchmunch_, on me like that."

At the moment the blond teenager was sitting in the quad beneath the shade of a large tree. Sakuya had told her to wait for her while she fetched a friend. Yuya looked up at the sky, it was such a lovely day that the brightness of the sun seemed to melt away her irritation.

"Yuya!" her cousin called out, Yuya looked over and smiled at her cheerful cousin.

"Hey!" she called back, then she noticed the person Sakuya had brought and her smile froze. It was the guy she had run into this morning!

"This is Mibu Kyoshiro, Kyoshiro-san this is my cousin Shiina Yuya," Sakuya said brightly as she sat opposite of Yuya.

"We've met." Kyoshiro stated with a smile just as bright as the brunettes.

"I'm sorry about this morning!" Yuya exclaimed as Kyoshiro sat next to Sakuya. She felt her cheeks heat up from her embarrassment and berated herself for not noticing that the guy she ran into that morning was standing there.

"So Yuya, remember what I asked of you earlier this month?" Sakuya asked hesitantly.

The blond paused, _what thing…. OH!_ Her face lit up with recognition. "I remember! So… is this the guy?" She asked while glancing at Kyoshiro. Both blushed at her question, Sakuya more so than Kyoshiro.

"*cough* Umm, yes… this is…. Him." Her blush became darker with each word and she began staring very adamantly at the ground.

Yuya stared silently at her cousin, then shifted her gaze back to Kyoshiro. He squirmed a bit but seemed to harden his resolve and returned her gaze with a determined stare. Yuya understood then that he was concerned but for what she couldn't fathom but she got the feeling that a bit of it was for her.

A small smile graced her lips, "Alright."

Sakuya whipped her head up and stared at Yuya in shock.

"What?"

Yuya wanted to help her dear cousin more than anything, _and besides, _she thought to herself, _this could be fun._

"I said that I would do it."

There was a pause then Sakuya squealed and launched herself at her cousin.

"_Thank you Yu-chan!"_ She had small tears forming in the corner of her eyes, Kyoshiro just smiled.

"It's nothing. But can I ask something?"

"Sure! Ask Anything!"

"What's his name?"

Sakuya froze in "… Who's name?" she asked innocently.

"The guy who has to fall in love with me. What's his name? Or more importantly what's he like?"

A moment passed where no one said anything and Sakuya pulled out of her hug.

"Um… well he's-" the now shy girl started but was soon cut off by the only male teen in the vicinity.

"His name is Kyo."

Yuya whipped her head up in shock.

"….What?" now she was the one asking for a repeat.

"My brother's name is Kyo. And he is a bit difficult."

It was then that, of course, the bell rang and Sakuya bolted up.

"Well that's the end of lunch we should get to class." She said hurriedly

"… You guys go on ahead." Yuya said, "I need to go to the… Bathroom."

As she stood up and left the hopefully-soon-to-be couple a feeling of dread took over her. Of course she would wind up having to deal with him, it was just her luck right? Someone must be out to make her life miserable. It had to be him, they looked alike, his name was kyo and he had a difficult personality. It was then that she knew that she had signed herself up for one hell of a ride.

OK! Everyone, you probably think this story was dead but let me reassure you it is not! I have just had a lot on my plate. So it took a while to write this but I hope you enjoyed it!

**PLEASE REVIEW!** Even if it's just a little "Yo, what took you so long?" I Love reviews and it lets me know people actually read my stories.

Special thanks to my Beta-reader who has to deal with my procrastinative nature and gets on me to write.


	8. Chapter 6: Picking Up Things

To Katie, who was so kind to reply to my request, but FanFiction doesn't display websites or emails. If you're still interested in Beta'ing I will need one for the next chapter. Just send me your gmail user name.

Yuya grumbled as she put her shoes on. She was annoyed and she had the right to be! Sakuya and that Kyoshiro guy were ignoring her! Forcefully shoving her foot in the poor shoe the blond huffed in irritation and indignation. After they had finally told her his name they had avoided her like the plague! Throughout the entire week the two had miraculously managed to stay off topic. She couldn't get **ANY **answers out of them! During lunch they remained silent, after school they darted off to god knows where, and Sakuya never responded to any of her texts that contained any questions she might have. So Yuya decided that she would do the only thing she could do in her situation. She had to go find the answers herself!

Late last night the blond teen had stared at her ceiling going over the different things she could do. 

"… _I could stalk Kyoshiro to find where he lives! Then spring a surprise attack on the unsuspecting household and hope to god that Kyo was there! ... No, that wouldn't work; it would be slightly awkward too… He goes to my school, so maybe I could do some snooping around. That sounds more realistic, but then again I would have to wait until Monday to do anything and I don't want to wait that long…_" 

It was then that she remembered the restaurant. She had run into Kyo there and the people had seemed to be really familiar with him. So her best bet would be to go there and see what she could find. And that was exactly what she was doing this afternoon. 

Yuya called out goodbyes over her shoulder and left her house. Of course the snooping-around-school idea was good and she would defiantly have to do that. But for now, this would have to do. Yuya felt a determined smile form on her face, she was finally getting somewhere! 

The walk to the restaurant was fairly quick considering that she knew where she was going now. The place still seemed as dank and dirty as before, but defiantly less foreboding. She reached her had to the door and pulled it open only to be greeted by darkness and she frowned. Surely they were open right? No one in their right mind would leave a door unlocked in the middle of the city if not. Yuya poked her head inside anyway. 

"Hello?" 

... 

There was no response and Yuya's face fell just a little bit. Had she come when no one was there? The silence continued and the air felt heavy. A normal person would think that it was obvious that no one was there and after standing at the entrance for a few minutes. Yuya, being a normal person, came to the same conclusion. But just as the teen had decided that the place was empty and was about to close the door Yuya heard rattling from further inside. Doubt crossed her mind and her curiosity pulled her into the darkened restaurant, _maybe someone's here after all._

She closed the door behind her and stood with her back pressed against the door, a cautious hand still resting on the door knob. 

"Hello?" she called louder this time. There was more rattling and a small crash that caused Yuya to wince. She then heard a low grumbling and a couple of low oaths that sounded like they had come from the kitchen. The girl let go of the door and wandered over to the counter and leaned against it, peering over and into the kitchen. 

"Hello!" 

"One FREAKIN' MINUTE!" The voice shouted back and Yuya jumped and sweat dropped. It sounded like Akari but for some reason it was deeper. 

So she waited and within that one freakin' minute Akari poked her head out from behind the kitchen door. 

"Oh YUYA! It's you! Perfect timing! What're you doing here?" She asked with a look of pure relief on her face. 

"I was going to ask you about something." The blond teen suddenly felt embarrassed, the idea of asking about Kyo sounded good in her head but it would be weird to just suddenly ask about a guy. 

"Sure but tell me Yuya-chan, can you cook?" 

"More or less. But I was wondering if you could te-" 

"That's fine, are you doing anything today?" The older woman asked while she turned and rummaged through a cabinet. 

"Not really, but I wanna ask abo-" 

"I would be glad to answer but only if you do me a favor. I've gotta go somewhere today and my two lazy-assed employees both skipped. Can you work for an hour or so?" Akari asked with hope in her eyes. 

"Um, sure? But before that I—" 

Akari turned and dumped an apron on Yuya, "Thanks Yuya-chan. You're a life saver!" And with that Akari bolted for the door and was gone before Yuya could process what just happened. She looked around the dinky little restaurant and back down at the apron placed in her hands. 

"I feel like I was just taken advantage of," she muttered to no one in particular. Sighing, Yuya hung the apron around her neck and tied it behind her back while she walked to the kitchen entrance.

She groaned when the girl finally looked inside. There were dirty dishes all over the sink and left out ingredients on the counter. 

"Now I know I'm being used…" 

Either way, Yuya pushed up her imaginary sleeves and set to work cleaning the forsaken kitchen. 

Eventually, among the soap suds, the cleansers, and the rigorous scrubbing, Yuya lost track of time. She cleaned everything, from the stove top to the grout between the tiles. Somewhere before doing the dishes and after pulling out cleansers she discovered a bright yellow pair of unused rubber gloves. Go figure she would find** unused** gloves in this kitchen. 

She was in the process of trying to get something that was lodged under the refrigerator when a visitor arrived at the little shop. She hadn't heard the customer arrived and thus continued her pursuit of the troublesome thing, all the while mildly cussing. Whatever it was that stuck certainly had no wish to become unstuck. 

The visitor listened to the frustrated mutterings curious as to they belonged too. He was a frequent guest to this crummy little shop and knew the voice was new, but for some reason familiar. He made his way to the kitchen entrance and looked around mildly in surprise. It was clean, which was a very, very new concept to the small space. 

Finally the man's eyes landed on a figure kneeling on the ground. Well, more precisely his eyes fell on a female's round ass which stuck up in the air and wiggled every now and then.  
It was thoroughly amusing. Especially when after another soft round of curses came from the girl on the floor, he recognized her as the little girl he ran into before. A slight smirk formed on his face when the girl continued as she was without realizing he was there. Was she an idiot? 

"AH!" The girl exclaimed, and Kyo flinched at the suddenness of it. "About goddamn time! How the hell did a tennis ball get caught under there?" 

Her slightly miffed voice and the randomness of it all finally got to him and Kyo gave a slight chuckle. He watched as the girl spazzed at the sound of his voice and face plant the ground. Her ass was still up in the air though. 

"Nice view," he commented dryly. 

She then jerked up into a formal sitting position and turned to look at him, Kyo cheerfully noted that her mouth was agape in shock and her face was a bright cherry red. 

"Wha-what are you doing here?" 

He gave her a condescending look, "Why wouldn't I be here?" 

"But this is the kitchen!" Kyo mildly pondered the possibility of her being retarded. 

"Yes it is." 

"You're not supposed to be back here!" the blond girl yelled indignantly. Yuya was starting to get annoyed. Not only had she been caught off guard but her face was uncomfortably red and her heart was beating like a jack hammer. Embarrassment galore. 

Kyo's face deadpanned, "so?" 

Yuya opened her mouth to retort but quickly discovered that she had none. After a small moment passed and nothing came out of her open mouth, a triumphant smirk formed on Kyo's face. If possible, (and we all know it's possible) the flush on Yuya's face deepened and her heart skipped a beat. 

"What? Got nothing to say?" He leered at her. 

Yuya snapped her jaw shut and got to her feet with jerky movement, then proceeded to give him her best 'I-swear-I-can-kill-you-glare'. The effect was ruined by the red on her cheeks and the pout on her lips. And the little smudge of dirt right on the tip of her nose. 

"Oh! Scary, scary." Kyo commented as he turned around and headed back into the dining area of restaurant. "Aren't you going to come out here and _serve _me?" 

Yuya started after him, trying to keep her cool. She had not liked the way he had said the word 'serve'. She grumbled as she yanked off her now dirty cleaning gloves and stormed behind the counter. 

Kyo had perched himself on one of the bar stools and was resting his chin in one of his hands by the time Yuya was ready to take his order. She felt a vein twitch in her forehead. For some reason the thought of taking **his **order was aggravating. 

"What do you want?" 

"That's not a very nice way of saying it," Kyo stated. "Try again." 

Yuya's eye brow twitched. "What can I get for you?" She said in that angry-but-trying-to-be-nice way. 

Kyo chuckled again, "I want a beef rice bowl and a bottle of saké." 

Yuya was in the middle of writing the word 'bottle' when she realized he had ordered alcohol. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. 

"Saké?" 

"That's what I said Ugly, are you deaf?" 

"!" Yuya's flush came back with vengeance, "NO! But I doubt you're legal to drink! AND I'm not ugly!" 

Kyo slightly glared at her. This blond teenager had been amusing in the beginning but seemed more annoying now. Didn't she know sake was necessary for him to maintain a good mood? Didn't Akari or Akira, or even Tora, tell her this? 

"Shut up. Just get me my drink." 

Yuya placed her hands on her hips and leaned toward him. 

"No," she replied with a return glare. 

Kyo growled lightly at her response. What was this woman's problem? 

"HELLO~~ I'M BACK!" Akari sang as she practically danced into the shop with bags around her wrist. "I'm so so-" she started but stopped as she saw Kyo glancing back at her with an annoyed

expression and Yuya leaning into him with a flush across her face. 

"… Am I interrupting something?" The shop owner asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. 

Yuya's eyes widened and she jerked herself ramrod straight. "N-NO!" She practically shouted. Akari laughed. 

"Well, can I get the usual for you Kyo?" The red eyed man didn't respond but turned back to the counter, Akari took that as a yes and placed her bags on a wobbly table and went behind the counter collecting a sake bottle and a small shot glass and placing it in front of the silent man.  
Yuya's jaw dropped and a dumbfounded look crossed her face. Kyo saw the expression and looked pointedly at her with an "In Your Face" smile. In response Yuya huffed and slammed the note pad on the counter. 

"I'm going back to the kitchen!" she stated at Akari. The aforementioned blinked at the blondes' apparent anger and nodded then turned back to Kyo to talk when she noticed that instead of drinking, like she expected him to be, he was following the younger girl with his eyes.  
_I'm defiantly going to give Kyoshiro and Sakuya a call later,_ she thought to herself.

After a while, Yuya finally finished cleaning EVERYTHING in the kitchen. The cleanliness escapade had helped the girl blow off some steam. Now that her arms where a little tired from scrubbing and she had a satisfied feeling she deemed herself ready to make civil conversation. There was something about that man that just got her all riled up. 

But chances were he had left the restaurant by now, so Yuya shed her gloves a second time and went to go talk to Akari about their obnoxious customer. 

Of course luck wasn't on her side; Kyo was still there nursing a bottle of sake and talking to Akari. Though he made no movement at her entrance his eyes slid to watch her walk toward them. Yuya, in turn, felt his eyes on her and glared at him when she approached. 

"Come to take my dishes away?" 

Oh, how she just wanted to spray cleanser into his eyes so he couldn't see her flush. 

"No!" she stated boldly. 

"Yuya dear, can you please take his plates to the sink? I need to ring up his bill," Akari asked while smiling sweetly. 

Yuya could swear a vein was throbbing in her head. Akari left for the register and Yuya huffed. The blond grabbed his plate and was about to collect the sake bottle and cup when Kyo's hand grasped her wrist. 

"I'm not done yet," he stated plainly. 

The warmth from his hand shocked Yuya senseless. His appendage easily surrounded her wrist and made her feel tiny in comparison. 

She ripped her arm out of his grasp and dashed into the kitchen. Her heart was beating fast again for what she was sure to be absolutely no good reason. Rushing over to the sink, Yuya dumped the dishes and turned on the hot water. But no matter how vigorously she scrubbed she couldn't get the feeling of his hand off her. 

"Awe, Kyo! You're leaving so soon?" Yuya heard Akari ask from the sink. 

No response. 

"Ok, what do you wanna do about the bill though? Put it on your tab?" 

"Nope, give her the bill," it almost sounded like he was smiling. Wait her? If there was a girl paying for him he might be in a relationship. 

"Give who..? Oh! I see, ok, stop by again sometime soon!" 

Yuya heard the door open and shut. If Kyo was already in a relationship then there was no reason for her to get him to fall in love. 

"Hey Akari?" 

"Yes, Yuya-chan?" 

"What did he mean by 'give it to her'?" 

"You of course!" 

"Oh, I see." 

… 

"WAIT, **WHAT?**" 

Faster than one would normally expect, Yuya ran out the kitchen and out the restaurant. There was no way in hell she was going pay his bill! He was just about to reach the corner so Yuya ran at full speed to catch him. 

She reached out to grasp his collar and she felt the fabric of his shirt. The next thing she knew Yuya felt a painful grasp on each arm. She gasped when her back hit the side of the building. Wide eyed and thoroughly bewildered she stared at the man who now had her pinned. 

Fear gripped her heart when their eyes met. The red orbs seemed to penetrate to her core and regard her as an enemy. Her face paled and she clamped her eyes shut. 

After a very strained and silent moment, it seemed Kyo finally realized that it was the blond waitress and his grip relaxed. But he didn't let her go. Instead he leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. 

"What are you doing?" 

Yuya felt his breath brush against her ear and she shivered. Opening her eyes just barely all she could see was his blood red hair and the scenery just past his shoulder. It was at that moment that the girl realized the proximity of their bodies. A blush like no other spread across her face, it was like her skin was on fire. 

Kyo noticed her ear change color and felt her body tremble. _This will be fun…_

"I'll see you later then," and then he was gone. 

Yuya slid to the ground and touched her ear where his breath had been. 

_Holy…_

_I think I'm in for more than I bargained._

I know, I know I took too long to update, this chapter sucks, and I'm a horrible author. Whatever; just send me a review if you still care about this story.


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